With a rocking new album under his belt, Michael Monroe is taking his live show out on the road again.

I CAN’T help but feel nervous at the prospect of sitting in a room alone with Michael Monroe. Michael was a founding member and the front man of cult rock n’ roll band Hanoi Rocks, which influenced bands such as Guns n’ Roses and Mötley Crüe, and later continued a successful solo career where he played with stars such as Slash, Steven Van Zandt and Ronnie Wood. He is the biggest rock star in Finnish music.

The blues licks of acclaimed American blues-rock guitarist Joe Bonamassa are on display for his biggest audience yet in Finland, performing at Hartwall Areena on Sunday 13 Ocotber. A child prodigy who first opened for B. B. King at 12 years of age, Bonamassa has been showcasing his jaw-dropping dexterity around the world for the last couple of decades.

Born into a musical family as the son of a music storeowner and guitar player, Bonamassa received his first instrument at the age of four. As a member Bloodline, a group that included Miles Davis’s son Erin, and Robby Krieger’s son Waylon, Bonamassa enjoyed his first real taste of recording success when the band released their debut album in 1994 as teenagers.

ARRIVING with the onset of autumn, the Irish Festival in Finland is being staged for the 28th time, from 28 September until 7 October. Offering visitors the chance to indulge in various aspects of Irish culture, events are being held around the country in celebration.

Keeping with tradition, singer Mary Coughlan is headlining the festival for fifth time, with perfromacnes in the great Sigyn Hall in Turku on Saturday 5 October and Helsinki’s Savoy Theatre on Monday 7 October.

After the unexpected joy of seeing System of a Down return to the stage a couple of year ago, (performing in Finland for the first time ever during their career in 2011), fans who may have thought their recent follow-up gig at Jurassic Rock back in August may have signalled a new beginning are in for a moderate letdown, as frontman Serj Tankian continues rolling on with his solo pursuits. But, that in itself is still good news, and he is performing at Hartwall Areena on Sunday 29 September.

One of the most uncompromising Finnish contemporary artists today, the work of Timo Heino is currently on display at Helsinki’s Tennispalatsi until 17 November. Offering a comprehensive review of Heino’s work from 1990 to the present, visitors can reflect on the various installations and collages drawing on often surprising combinations of objects and materials.

Rubber, metal and dust are as commonplace as smoothness, coldness and hairiness during the exhibition, resulting in often highly charged, creature-like works. Offering insights about private experiences, Heino’s art also offers reflection on social and global issues of power, sexuality, consumerism and the relationship between humanity and nature.